Games We Love - CGC Madness

March 8th, 2023 - Staff writer Lauren Sisselman discusses a handful of graded games that tell a compelling story or conjure feelings of nostalgia.

Video games have entertained people of all ages for generations. As a medium, video games have the ability to bring families together for game nights, and can help us maintain bonds even when we’re far apart. I myself love family-friendly titles as they can be enjoyed by everyone. If you’re a parent looking to grow your child's collection, or you just enjoy the E for Everyone games, we here at Standard Gaming have a number of unique, family-friendly titles for collectors of all ages!

A Bug's Life

In my honest opinion, Pixar’s A Bug’s Life is one of the best movies the company has ever done. Like Toy Story, viewers are brought into the world of bugs – specifically an ant colony in need of help. The characters are well thought out, and charming, and by the end of the movie you are rooting for protagonist Flick to take down the evil Hopper. This movie consumed me in the winter of 1998. While the movie may not have as much recognition today as other Pixar movies, A Bug's Life holds up extremely well. The movie had a video game tie-in which follows the basic plot of the film. Here players act as Flik, and although it’s not a difficult video game, it was a great way to bring in younger players. It was as charming as the movie and proved to be perfect for my then 7-year-old sister. 

This sealed 8.0 A+ WATA-graded copy still looks fresh and crisp in its shrink wrap. While there might be some minor wear on the box, it can be easily overlooked. There aren’t many of these games graded out there, making this a very unique piece. A Bug's Life is perfect for Pixar collectors, A Bug's Life collectors, Nintendo 64 collectors, and anyone who enjoys a good underdog story.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is without a doubt the best game for players of all ages. Players can create their own slice of paradise where their real-life friends and family can visit with their own Animal Crossing player. This game was a sensation during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 – Animal Crossing gave family members (and friends) a way to be together when we otherwise couldn’t. The sense of community this game fosters still exists and has become one of the most cherished games in recent memory. The game sold over 41 million units, and new players are still discovering how great Animal Crossing is to this day.

This sealed 9.8 A++ WATA-graded copy is as good as it gets. This is as good as it gets since a majority of video games seldom see that perfect 10 score. This game looks like someone bought it fresh from a shipment box and sent it into WATA. This game is perfect for Animal Crossing collectors, family friendly game collectors, Tom Nook collectors, Nintendo collectors, and social simulation game collectors.

FIFA 18

Football (or soccer for our American collectors) is one of the most popular sports in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to attend a game myself when I went to England and was genuinely enthralled at how invested everyone was. People of all ages were cheering on their respective teams – as luck would have it, the home team won, and the arena erupted with cheer. The FIFA series has been bringing that excitement to gaming consoles since 1993, allowing fans to play their favorite sport without leaving their homes. FIFA 18 was released in September of 2017 across multiple platforms including the PlayStation 3 & 4, the Xbox 360, and Xbox One, as well as the Nintendo Switch. This game has stunning graphics and was well-received by players and reviewers. FIFA 18 won many “Best Of” awards, including Game Informer and the D.I.C.E Awards. To date, the FIFA series has sold over 20 million games worldwide. 

This sealed 9.8 A++ WATA-graded copy for the Xbox One is beautiful. Cristiano Ronaldo graces the cover of FIFA 18 in a beautiful clean cover. FIFA 18 is the perfect game for football collectors, sports games collectors, specific player collectors, and cross-platform collectors.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

What else can really be said about Pokemon? The card game from Japan became a cultural phenomenon the world over with no sign of slowing down. My sister and I enjoyed playing the original Game Boy games when we were younger. Back then there were only 151 unique Pokemon to try and catch – now there are over 1,000. Nintendo has not shown any interest in slowing down this franchise. You can find Pokemon just about everywhere too. On cars, airplanes, bedding, food, and so much more. In November 2021 Nintendo released Pokemon Shining Pearl and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond to the joy of Pokemon fans the world over. This was a welcome addition to the Pokemon lineup and acts as a wonderful way to get younger fans interested in the franchise (or in gaming). In less than a week both games sold over a million copies in Japan, and as of summer 2022 over 14 million copies have been sold worldwide. 

This sealed CGC 9.8 A++ is truly as good as it gets. Seldom will CGC give out a perfect 10 for anything they grade, so a 9.8 has become a universally accepted perfect score. This game presents extremely well, especially the bright blue-tone cover. This game is perfect for high-grade collectors, Pokemon collectors, Nintendo collectors, or anyone who has to catch em’ all! 

Looking For More General Information on Graded Games?

· If any of the terminology used in this guide was confusing or new to you, please refer to our convenient glossary of terms here.
· Need more information about graded games in general? Check out this intro to the different types of certified video games here.